BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — For Weslaco High, it wasn’t just about making the Championship Game. The Panthers wanted to win it.
At times on Saturday, it looked like Weslaco (13-2) was capable of beating the Houston Dickinson Gators (10-6). But a disappointing first quarter would haunt the Panthers in a 58-42 loss.
“We just ran into a buzz saw in the first quarter,” Weslaco High coach Gabe Valdez said. “They got us down, and we had to fight back. Dickinson is a great team. They are not ranked fourth in the state for nothing.”
Dickinson used a full-court press for every defensive possession. For the first few possessions, Weslaco struggled to find a way through. There were several turnovers and wasted timeouts. Then, Dickinson got hot. The Gators went on a 10-3 run to grow their lead to 15-8. From there, Weslaco would fight to catch up for the remainder of the game.
“The first quarter, we came out a little scared,” senior guard Jordan Young said. “But, we got over that and started playing better. We started playing with more (heart). What we learned from that is that we can compete with those Houston schools, and we can compete up to their level.”
Young led the team with 11 points. Right behind him was junior guard Braxton Bloomquist. Bloomquist played all 32 minutes and scored 10 points.
“Braxton plays within himself,” Valdez said. “He’s a little more experienced, and we got Jordan, who comes in and does a great job defensively. He’s our main defensive guy. But, we have quality kids that can come in and fill the roles, we just needed that extra firepower with Braxton.”
Dickinson played a well-rounded game, with three players scoring double figures in points.
“I’m so proud of them,” Dickinson coach Jason Wilson said. “It’s just the early stage in our season — gearing up for district like every other team. This is a building stone for us to continue to do what we need to do this season.”
Leading the way for Dickinson was senior guard Jarian Spells. Spells finished with a game-high 19 points, including all nine of Dickinson’s fourth quarter points.
Senior guard Damon Williams scored 12 points on four 3-pointers. Senior forward Taderek Smith added 10.
The Gators gained valuable experience from the game, just like Weslaco did.
“There is so much good competition down here,” Wilson said. “All the teams, the style that they play, they are all playing hard, well-coached teams, great shooting teams, and they play with a lot of energy. So, it’s good for us to come down here and play this style of basketball.”
But, for Weslaco, the game serves as a reminder that there is still work to be done.
“It was good competition in the championship game,” Bloomquist said. “That is how we need to play, and we are working hard to get there.”
“Our execution offensively we have to tweak a bit,” Valdez added. “Defensively, we can do a lot of things, but offensively we have to do a better job of executing and getting the ball to the right people at the right time.”
Dickinson faced a tough schedule en route to the championship game, but made it look easy. The team beat Harlingen South, Laredo LBJ, Sharyland High and La Joya Palmview to make it to the semifinals. The closest game was against Harlingen South, who the Gators beat 94-56. But, in the semifinal game, they faced stiff competition in unbeaten PSJA North. The game was much closer, 73-64, but Dickinson still got the win.
Weslaco High’s trail to the finals was a rougher one. The team beat Sharyland High, Rio Hondo, Harlingen South, Hidalgo and Santa Rosa. Weslaco had a close call in a 58-53 win over Hidalgo in the quarterfinals, but rebounded with a 68-52 win over Santa Rosa in the semifinals.
The Consolation championship went to McAllen Rowe by virtue of the Warriors’ 56-34 win over La Marque. Laredo LBJ took home the Gold Bracket Championship and Rio Hondo captured the Gold Bracket consolation championship.
Weslaco will take the experience of this tournament and use it to push the team through its district schedule.
“It’s a Houston school,” Young said. “That’s deep into the playoffs. To see that we only lost 15 or 14 points, its good for us, because we know that we can get better. And we can compete with them deep into the playoffs.
“That size is a lot different. We are not going to see size like that in our district. No one is going to bring a press like that against us. Seeing that we can break a press against guys that long, it must be easier against guys that are a lot shorter.”